Exclusive: Barry Bonds will be spring training Giants instructor

By Alex Pavlovicapavlovic@mercurynews.com

Posted:
02/22/2014 01:21:33 PM PST

Updated:
02/22/2014 09:39:43 PM PST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays strolled into the Scottsdale Stadium clubhouse Saturday morning, a small bag hanging over his right shoulder. The next member of the 600-homer club to walk through the door will bring considerably more baggage.

Barry Bonds is scheduled to return to the Giants from March 9-17 as a special instructor for the organization's young hitters, as first reported by this newspaper. Bonds has long wanted to take on a more active role with the organization, but the two sides have not been connected in an official capacity since 2007, Bonds' last major league season.

The years since have been filled with performance-enhancing drug allegations, a perjury trial and a felony conviction for obstruction of justice, but the Giants are not worried about Bonds being a distraction.

"He's part of what we'll do here," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's going to be part of the group of instructors, like (Will) Clark, (J.T.) Snow or (Jeff) Kent. He's going to be like the other guys and help where he can.

"I don't have any concerns."

During an appearance at AT&T Park in 2012, Bonds told reporters that he had approached Giants CEO and President Larry Baer about working for the club in some form. The conversations have continued informally since then, and the Giants felt that the timing was finally right to bring back one of the best players of all time, albeit one with a complicated history.

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"Collectively within the organization, we felt that given Barry's desire to continue to contribute to the Giants, we should be open-minded about giving him the same invite that we have given to other players in the past," Baer said Saturday.

The Giants began preparing for Bonds' arrival at Scottsdale Stadium long before camp opened Feb. 14, and his return to the batting cage is sure to bring with it a new collection of cameras. Bonds' last media session at AT&T Park came May 29, 2012, a year after a federal conviction for obstruction of justice for giving "evasive answers" during grand jury investigation into BALCO.

"Do I have any regrets? What happened, happened," Bonds said at the time. "It's there. It is what it is. I live with it. I'm a convicted felon for obstruction of justice, and that's who I am."

A federal appeals court upheld the conviction in September, and Bonds has completed a 30-day home confinement sentence. Despite his legal issues, Bonds has shown up at several Giants games over the past two seasons, always sitting in an aisle seat a couple dozen rows up from the plate. Aside from court appearances, Bonds has mostly kept a low profile in his post-playing days. He is said to be an avid cyclist and has lost considerable weight since the final at-bat of his 15-year Giants career.

Bonds, now 49, holds major league records for home runs in a season (73) and career (762), but he was far more than just a slugger. Bonds had a .444 career on-base percentage and stole 514 bases, and in recent years he has on several occasions quietly slipped into the home clubhouse at AT&T Park to dispense hitting advice.

The Giants view Bonds as someone who can make a difference with young players, and possibly for years to come. He has a 10-year personal services contract with the organization, but it hasn't kicked off yet. This stint is part of a separate plan, one in which Bonds will spend a week with the club.

If all goes well, Bonds could join Clark, Snow, Kent, Randy Winn, Robb Nen and other former Giants who are permanently welcome in Scottsdale every spring.